Demons
by KohakuYume94
Summary: Naruto learns that sometimes you have to let go of your inner demons in order to have the clarity to see what, or who, has been right in front of you. Naruto x Gaara.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys - getting back out there with my first story in years! So exciting and nerve-wrecking! Anyway - just wanted to give a quick disclaimer that I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Also - I just wanted to put it out there that I wanted to interject this story as a part of the canon Naruto Shippuden episodes - 214, 215 and 216 - obviously this is my different spin on what could have happened and how things might have led up to this  
moment. If you haven't watched to this point, you can still follow what's going on - but there might be some spoilers for you!

And - I watch the japanese sub version of the anime - so writing english dialogue was really, really difficult. Because of this, I kept a few of the japanese-isms for myself :)

Lastly - The idea for this fic came to me having discovered the cover version of the song Demons, by Boyce Avenue. It was originally going to be a one-shot, but I have no self control and it quickly became eight chapters. Give the song a listen before,  
after, during, or all of the above.

Hope you enjoy! Reviews are wonderful and welcome!

...

Naruto struggled to open his eyes, light flooding in, shooting pain up into his head. Through the strain, his vision began to adjust. White walls around him. The crest of the leaf village mounted up on them. A green curtain visible out of the corners  
of his peripheral vision. Suddenly, he was fully awake and in a panic, realizing, he was in the hospital.

He writhed in agony, having tried to sit up and being immediately incapacitated from pain wrestling his broken body back down. The light dimmed in and out of his eyes again, threatening unconsciousness.

"Be still, please." Gaara's voice came through the haze unexpectedly, "Relax. Breathe."

Naruto shifted his gaze over to the fiery-haired teen Kazekage standing awkwardly by his bedside, arms slightly outstretched, a dust of sand and sweat across his forehead and cheeks.

"Gaara..." Naruto rasped, a dry cough following after.

"Just breathe, please. Do you want..." Gaara hesitated, flustered and searching the room for some way to help. Finding a pitcher of water on the nightstand and pouring a glass, he stepped forward. "Here."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and a small grunt of frustration and pain slipped between his teeth.

"Gaara, I can't move my left arm. Why am I here? What happened?" Panic started to set back in. "Why can't I move my arm? Why is there-"

The coughing interrupted again, followed by a brace against pain.

"Please, be still." Gaara surged forward. "May I help you?"

Naruto gave a slight nod, trying to even out his breathing.

Very slowly, and as gently as he could, the sand shinobi slipped a hand under Naruto's neck and, tilting his head forward, touched the glass of water to the blonde ninja's mouth to let him drink. Laying his head rest back, and setting down the empty glass,  
Gaara reached out of impulse to wipe away some of the water that remained wetting Naruto's lips. Pausing, he resigned himself from touch, gripping his hand into a tight fist and stepping back instead.

"I'll call the nurse for you. Lady Tsunade and the others will want to know you're awake." He turned swiftly to leave.

"Gaara..." Naruto called after him, stopping his steps in the doorframe. "What happened to me? Why am I here?"

Gaara's eyes closed tight, teeth grinding and hand gripping tight onto the doorframe.

He didn't remember.

Slowly, Gaara turned back, dread in his face. How was it that it fell to him to recount such a story? His stomach twisted and his mouth ran dry. He didn't know what to say, how to start; would Naruto even believe him?

One word was all it took.

"Sasuke..."

Naruto remembered. The memories crashing into his mind hard, fast, and relentless. Tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes, and though he tried to dry them back with closed lids, they spilled out and onto his cheeks. The pain in his body diminished,  
becoming nothing in comparison.

"Sakura went to meet him, to try-"

"Gaara!" Naruto interrupted in desperation. "Please don't..."

The images flicked through his mind over and over, with increasing clarity. Heavy and tortured, Gaara crossed back over to the bedside.

"You remember now?"

…

 _Naruto slammed back, Sasuke flying in the opposite direction._

 _"Sakura, are you alright?" Kakashi quickly darted her from the water and the action, into cover. How foolish of her to have come there. How foolish to think she could kill Sasuke. Aside from her own fighting incompetence against his skill, how could she ever try and kill him against her own affections for him?_

 _"Sasuke!" Naruto bellowed, "I'm not ever going to give up on you. I don't care about the promise I made to Sakura to bring you home -_ I _want to bring you home. I want you to see that there is something greater and more powerful than hate and vengeance. Come back at me - I can do this all day, ya know!"_

 _Kakashi was at his side, feet nimble and hovering delicate on the surface of the water._

 _"Naruto," he muttered from behind the mask so mysteriously and constantly covering his mouth. "We have to pull back. The odds aren't for us in this fight."_

 _Naruto smirked, "Kakashi Sensei, fighting against the odds is when I fight my best."_

 _"Be logical. Look at our opponents..." Kakashi urged, and looking out at them, Naruto felt the grip of reality wriggle its fingers onto his throat._

 _Sasuke, fueled and blazing with rage. Zetzu, his half white, half black body poking out of the ground, white clones of himself scattered over the water, ready to pounce, eager to drain away chakra. And Tobi, his masked face revealing a single eye glinting of his Sharingan, of violence, and suffering._

 _"Always the teacher, Kakashi Sensei..." Naruto mumbled. "Hey, Sasuke - I mean what I say. I don't go back on my word - that's my ninja way, ya know. I will bring you home."_

 _"The leaf village isn't my home!" Sasuke spat back. "I will bring its ruin, just as it has brought ruin to the lives of the Uchiha for decades!"_

 _"You are more than just an Uchiha!"_

 _Sasuke's eyes widened, face contorting in fury at this rebuttal. "_ Just _an Uchiha?!"_

 _The black-ringed symbol for the Amaterasu blinked into red eyes._ _White hot pain blazed over Naruto as black, inextinguishable flames spread onto his chest and arms._ _He cried out and sunk to his knees, trying to rip away his jacket, desperate to quench the burn._

 _"Naruto!" Sakura cried, leaping forward with Kakashi, clashing kunai with white Zetzu clones._

 _Sasuke grit his teeth, and made his way across the water until he was standing over Naruto._

 _"I should have destroyed you that day, so long ago. I should have drowned out your hope and the hope of the Leaf at Final Valley."_

 _He drew his katana, flicking it down, exploding a Chidori through the blade._

 _Suddenly, Naruto had grown very still, no longer fighting the torturous lick of the flames on his skin. He turned his head up, locked his eyes into Sasuke's and demanded, "Then do it already."_

 _Sasuke's brow creased, sweat moistening the grip on his katana._

 _"You have said you are going to kill me too many times now for you to have meant it. You don't have this hatred, this vengeance in your heart, ya know. You have fear, and grief, and anger. All your life and talent went into a revenge that didn't even matter, that only brought you more pain. In that emptiness, you've had to find a bigger revenge to define yourself by. Sasuke, you don't have to do any of these things! You refuse to let yourself be taken back home because you'd rather stay where you can hang on to your suffering!"_

 _"Shut up!" Sasuke roared, the flames of Amaterasu roaring with him._

 _Naruto grimaced and bared down for a moment, but quickly raising his head back, his eyes to meet Sasuke's again, without fear._

 _"You refuse the love and companionship of others because you have lost love and companionship. Shutting us out only leads to more suffering, more darkness, you know that. But, more than that, you know your anger and defiance comes from the fact that you have let some of that love in your heart, and that it chases after you, that it won't give up on you, not ever, Sasuke. If I'm wrong, strike me down here and now, just finally kill me. But if not, stop running. If I'm right, come home with us."_

 _Tension hung thick for a moment, Sasuke breathing heavy, blood oozing out of his closed eyes, and the Chidori resending from his blade._ _What was mere seconds felt like years, indecision and desire grating away inside the young Uchiha. It was the moment of final choice._

 _Sasuke forced out a long breath. Then, eyes opening and focusing hard, he removed the flames of Amaterasu. Naruto collapsed down, his skin in tatters, singeing and steaming against the water, but with a grin spread across his mouth._

 _He had done it, finally._

 _The white Zetzu clones froze and then withdrew from Kakashi and Sakura, who were now staring in shock at what happened next._ _Sasuke sheathed his katana, and knelt down, scooping Naruto into his arms and over his lap, face looking up at his._

 _"Sasuke..." Naruto's grin spread wider and brighter across his pained and bleeding face._

 _A still moment hung between the two of them. Young ninja having lived through such deep isolation now held in each other's arms._

 _Sasuke opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to figure out the words, how to begin._

 _"Naruto... I'm sorry. I've been so foolish... I-"_

 _"Don't. You don't have to…" Naruto lost words in swelling joy. "Can you really be... Are you coming home with us?"_

 _"I'm coming home with_ you _..." Sasuke smiled, leaned his face down, without hesitation pressed his mouth onto Naruto's, moving into him with ferocity._

 _All else tensed as if they'd been struck by lightning. Sakura stabbed through the heart, eyes fighting to process the reality in front of her. Kakashi squinting his eyes and gripping harder on his kunai._

 _For a moment, Naruto could only lay still. After all this time, was this finally, actually happening? How long has his heart cried to reach Sasuke, to have Sasuke? And now, burned a few inches from death, on top of waters that were moments ago a battleground, Sasuke held him, Sasuke kissed him._

 _As the seconds of stillness passed, Sasuke pressed harder in, hands sliding up Naruto's burned chest, biting into his chapped lips, forcing his tongue onto his mouth, hungry and desperate for response, for reciprocation._

 _And finally, after Naruto memorized the moment - the rush of relief, the feeling of Sasuke's tight, flexed muscles under and around his body, his fingers against his chest, the tickle of his hair on the forehead, the way he smelled, the way he tasted - Naruto let himself melt, giving way to the clash of his kiss, and finally, gently kissing back._

 _And then it happened._

 _Sasuke's Chidori flooded out from his fingers and through Naruto's chest._

 _Naruto went rigid._

 _He did not hear Sakura scream, nor did he see Kakashi leap forward, stopped by Tobi, laughing that he was just beginning to experience reality._ _He did not see the white Zetzu clones advance on Sakura as she fought in desperation to reach them._ _But he did feel Sasuke withdraw his lips, and he did see Sasuke's sadistic smile and wild demon eyes, and he heard Sasuke whisper with amusement into his face._

 _"You should have let me finish, Naruto. I said I was sorry, that I'vebeen foolish, that I'd come home with you, and I meant it. But I meant that I was sorry I hadn't killed you years ago, that I was foolish to ever let you live, to become a false symbol of hope, to not crush you and your dream as mine were crushed, and I meant that I would come home, to where the Uchiha once lived and thrived, with your dead body dragging behind me. Yes, Naruto, it can really be - you're finally meeting your long over-due end, and where it was late, at least I ensured it happened after I could cause your heart ultimate pain. Your love was never in my heart, but now my hate is in yours."_

 _Sasuke let out a short and maniacal laugh, and then leaning down, forcing a last, aggressive and mocking kiss onto Naruto's mouth, he shouted into his face, "How's this for severing a bond?!"_

 _The Chidori ran in one swift motion from the center of Naruto's chest, out through his left arm, and disappearing into nothing._

 _The rest came in flashes, the pain swallowing all other senses._

 _Sasuke stood, letting Naruto fall from his lap and sink into the water below. Sakura diving quickly after, pulling him from the depths, dragging him onto land, his body over her back, his detached arm in her shaking grip. A flurry of silver hair and white bodies, the clash of kunai. Blood from Sasuke's over-used eyes being flung into the water. Tobi sucking the three members of his purely wicked team away with his Transportation Jutsu, just as Kakashi broke the line of clone Zetzu._

 _Hot green chakra poured over Naruto, and he was on fire again. Sakura's mouth moved frantically and she worked to heal him, but he heard nothing. The medical ninjutsu flooded into him, through his chest, from shoulder into severed arm. Somehow, the pain was worse than Amaterasu itself, worse than the Chidori Lightning Blade through his flesh and bone. But somehow, even greater than that, was the pain of Naruto's decimated heart._

…

Gaara shifted uncomfortably as he watched Naruto bite back sobs, tears flooding down his cheeks despite the effort to stop them. He had to do something, something to ease back the pain, longing he could take it from him, that he could make things alright.

"I want to forget again. I want to forget again." Naruto pleaded in whisper.

"Naruto… I'm so sorry…"

Lady Tsunade burst through the door, a team of medical ninja closely in tow. "Gaara, you idiot, you were supposed to alert us when he woke! Get out of my way."

She quickly tossed the Kazekage to the side moving quickly to still Naruto against his protests.

"Lady Hokage," Gaara began, but cut off by a very brash,

"Away with you! Come back later if you must. I'm sure the Kazekage is needed more by The Sand than Naruto needs you getting him all worked up. Out!"

Shizune gestured for the door, apology in her eyes, "Please feel free to return later, Lord Kazekage."

Crossing through the threshold, he winced at Naruto's cry of pain at what was a new treatment of medical ninjutsu from the master herself. Longing to turn around and go back, to try and offer help and comfort, a desire even stronger overtook him as he  
heard the yellow-haired shinobi - the one who would dive headfirst in to all kinds of danger, turmoil, and anguish - cried out in tortured plea for Gaara to return and help him.

Shizune clicked the door shut, pressing her body weight against it, and Gaara fled down the halls of the hospital, as fast as his feet could take him, desperate never to hear that cry from Naruto again.


	2. Chapter 2

Days passed, slowly, agonizingly.

Nurses coming in and out. Medical ninjutsu and physical therapy sessions given to regain the full use of his once severed arm, and ravaged chest.

Oxygen came easier to Naruto's lungs, and blood easier to his heart – but the effort in simply breathing and having a heart that was beating only became harder.

He wished he had died.

Having had Sasuke so tease and destroy him was far greater a difficulty than passing on and out of this world would have been. There was no peace in being alive, in remembering.

Lady Tsunade came by frequently, insisting on doing most of the medical work herself. Sakura remained absent. Kakashi had made a few silent visits, mainly to be a simple supportive presence.

All of others had stopped by too, trying hard to grant their friend some kind of peace. Ino delivering flowers, tears glittering down her cheeks. Lee offering to help with physical therapy and training once Naruto was back on his feet. Choji bringing  
potato chips and food pills to help recover and strengthen. Shino, Kiba with Akamaru in tow, Hinata, and Neji offering condolences and well wishes for speedy healing. Shikamaru empathizing with what a drag it had to be being stuck in the hospital.  
Sai trying desperately to comfort and connect, coming out all wrong and rather insulting. Iruka Sensei stopping by with a popsicle to split and encouragement that he was so very proud of his brave student.

Their words went straight through him though, their gifts and tokens lay untouched.

Naruto would offer a gentle thank you to them all when they came, but none of them could offer him words enough to ease the shock and heartbreak, none of them could undo what had been done.

Every so often, Naruto would catch glimpse of a single eye floating in the corner of his hospital room, the Kazekage checking in from afar. These moments, and Kakashi's visits, were the only ones to offer true comfort. They didn't try to make things all  
of the sudden better, they were silent supports, knowing that words and gifts would never be enough.

Talk of war began to brew more legitimately. Rumors and whispers floating through the hospital hallways. Even though he was being intentionally left out of the conversations, Naruto knew preparations were being made.

Laying restlessly in bed one morning, he caught sight of Gaara's eye floating behind the green privacy curtain in his room. Grinning at the irony, he finally spoke, "I can see you, ya know. Not very stealth for being a shinobi, much less, The Kazekage."

The eye simply stared back at him, but Naruto knew he'd embarrassed Gaara all the way back at home.

"I know the Kazekage has plenty more important things to do than to visit a bed-ridden Leaf Genin, but if you have the time, your presence would soothe me, Gaara. I didn't get to thank you for being there when I woke, or for being there when I…remembered…  
Anyway, I understand if you can't make it…"

The eye vanished, and Naruto let out a labored breath, closed his own eyes and, after a while, slipped into a nightmare-riddled sleep.

…

 _"Naruto," Sasuke whispered, his red gaze burning through Naruto. They were atop the waters again, the raven-haired rogue holding his aching body, stroking his fingers across his chest, little tendrils of Chidori sparking out and shocking him. "You're my toy, Naruto, my foolish, foolish toy…"_

 _Sasuke leaned in and kissed him aggressively, ripping Naruto's lip between razor teeth as he pulled away._

 _"How could you ever think that I could actually love you?"_

 _He kissed him again, harder, more violently, Chidori now lighting up his chest in flashes._

 _"How could you ever think that your love could be enough to change me?"_

 _Naruto felt blood fill his mouth. He began to choke on it and Sasuke's tongue. Red dripped down the Uchiha's chin as he smiled, his vicious, wild smile._

 _"You fool…Your love was never in my heart, Naruto, but now, my hate is in yours."_

 _The Chidori exploded out in its fullness into Naruto's chest._

 _…_

Naruto shot up in bed, gasping for air, bed dampened with cold sweat. Pain rattled through his chest and arm, andlit up across raw skin. With a moan, he fell back into pillows and sheets, eyes sealed tight, trying to black out the images.

"You're still having nightmares?"

Naruto snapped his gaze over to his bedside, where sat, in his full Kazekage robes, Gaara. He didn't offer an answer, pink embarrassment filling his cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I came to visit as soon as you asked, and when I arrived… Well, I didn't want to rob you of your rest."

Silence hung between them for a moment.

"I can come back later, if you'd rather…" Gaara offered, standing to his feet.

"No. No, please stay.

Gaara re-took his seat and the silence returned with him. His hands flexed and un-flexed anxiously, sweat and sand filling his palms.

"How's your healing going?"

"Not bad. Quite amazing actually,if you ask Granny Tsunade. Sakura was able to reattach my arm on site, and keep me from dying. The last few days since I've been awake, it's been treatments and therapy to get the nerves and muscle tissues responding  
again. Everyone insists that Sakura has to have some kind of incredible talent to have been able to keep me alive at all, not to mention being able to save my arm."

Gaara hummed in agreement, "She is quite skilled. Kankoro would have surely been dead if it hadn't been for her work as well. I'm sorry she hasn't been to visit."

Naruto closed his eyes and weakly responded, "It's alright. I understand she must hate me now. I'm honestly not sure why she even bothered to save me…"

Quiet found its way between them again, Gaara longing to say something, to explode out his sentiments, but afraid to scare the leaf shinobi away, to shut him down.

"I doubt she hates you, Naruto. She just probably doesn't know what to say."

A sharp laugh burst out of Naruto, followed by a raspy cough.

"I doubt it… Sakura was never one to be short on words…"

"No," Gaara mused back, "I suppose not…"

Then Naruto, very serious, muttered out, "She should have let me drown and die…"

Gaara couldn't take it any longer, and he let the loose filter he had been keeping over his mouth.

"Naruto, I wish I could take this burden from you. I wish I could take your nightmares away, that I could have been the one who was injured and nearly killed, that I could bear the suffering for you. I wish I could have changed what happened, that I could  
have been there, that I could have stopped…him…" Self-awareness and preservation began to set back in. "I just mean, I'm so sorry… I just wish… I don't know… I should go, you should rest."

"Gaara…" Naruto's eyes had welled up with deep gratitude. There _were_ words that could reach him. Messy, honest words. "Thank you."

The young Kazekage gave a small smile, a soft blush lighting up his cheeks.

"Would you help me?" Naruto strained, wriggling to sit up.

Quickly, Gaara was at his side, strong arms carefully aiding and situating pillows behind Naruto's back to prop him up.

Naruto hummed in comfort, "Thank you, again."

"Can I get you anything? Medicine? Something to eat or drink?" Gaara offered, excited to be able to actually help him with something.

"Water, please."

As before, on that first day back in the hospital, a glass of water was poured, and Gaara lifted Naruto's head to meet it and to let him drink. And, just as before, he hesitated against his desire to wipe water dribble from Naruto's mouth, but this time,  
allowing his calloused, sandy touch to very gently blot away the spill.

Naruto exhaled softly into his fingers and gave a slight smile.

Gaara's eyes fluttered and he withdrew back into the bedside chair.

The two of them paused, soaking in each other's presence.

"So, how was the Lord Kazekage of the Sand able to come and visit the Leaf Village during wartime preparation?"

Gaara let out a soft gasp of surprise. "You know- "

"About the war?" Naruto gave a sarcastic laugh, "I may be a fool, but I'm not _that_ much of an idiot."

"Lady Tsunade won't be pleased that you know… She wanted to try to send you into hiding before you found out, to have you train with the Eight Tails and Killer Bee." Gaara flexed his fingers. "I suppose you won't go away from the battlefield knowing what's  
going on."

"I won't abandon my comrades." Naruto answered with finality. "However, if they need me to train first before I can be of service, then I guess I can entertain Granny Tsunade enough to at least hear her plan for me. Eight Tails and Killer Bee, huh?"

Relief flooded over Gaara. "Yes, of Hidden Cloud. That's good to hear you say, nor is it the notion of a fool. You need to stop addressing yourself as such."

"No, I am a fool…" Naruto's eyes closed again, what there was of a smile disappearing.

Gaara's mouth opened and then shut again.

"What is it you want to say," Naruto questioned rather sharply. "I'm tired of everyone having such restraint with me. My heart and body are already broken – the only thing that is hurting me now is everyone's attempts to try and make it seem like it's  
all okay. The only comforting word so far has been your brutal honesty and confessions earlier. So, if you have something to say, spit it out. Don't try to spare me."

Sentiments burst out from the young Kazekage at the invitation.

"You're not a fool, Uzumaki Naruto. You can be quite fool-hardy at times, but don't believe the lie that your passions and relentless care for others equate to foolishness. You have the truest and brightest of hearts, and it burns at me that you would  
accept that as foolishness after all the good it has done."

"What good has it done?" Naruto scoffed.

Gaara was on his feet.

"Your passions have saved countless lives. First, your own life. How easily you could have resigned yourself to living in your own hate and vengeance for being forced into being a Jinchuriki, for all the toil and anguish that comes with a demon living  
inside of you. How easily you could have been lost in loneliness and isolation without any parents or friends to comfort you. But you found a dream, your pain turned to passion, to be something bigger, to bring aid and help where you received none,  
to work into being an excellent shinobi and the future Hokage. You've also saved hundreds, no, thousands of lives with your bull-headed passion. The Land of Waves from Zabuza and Haku. Konohamaru from being a spoiled brat. The whole Leaf Village from  
my own attack, from Orochimaru's attack, from Shukaku's attack. Lady Tsunade from Kabuto. Sai from the emotional straight-jacket The Foundation had locked him in. Me from being _dead_ , in the clutches of Sasori, Deidara, and all the Akatsuki.  
Your entire village again from Pain, causing Nagato to reverse the deaths and destruction with just the passions of your heart. The list goes on, and on, and on. How can you count this as foolish? Because one man refuses to acknowledge you… You're  
not a fool Uzumaki Naruto – your relentless pursuit makes your heart perfect and pure, and it has saved me personally in every possible form of the word… Please, stop addressing yourself as a fool. I won't stand for it any longer. Yours is the heart  
of a true shinobi, of true wisdom."

Naruto was frozen. "Gaara…" he whispered in astonishment. "I didn't save you. You made your change, you saved yourself."

An amused laugh escaped Gaara, "No, you saved me Naruto. Maybe I walked the road to change, but I never would have been able to had you not lit up the path for me, had you not showed me something greater than my own hate, my own vengeance…"

The words struck Naruto hard and true, knocking the wind and sense out of him. A new silence hung between them, one of gratitude beyond words, and of tension to express it.

There was a swift rap at the door, Temari poking her head in, Kankoro peering over her shoulder.

"Lord Gaara, we need to return," she urged. "My apologies for intruding, but we have to meet with the Feudal Lords and arrange their sanctuary before we get any further into this war. If we don't leave now, we won't make it back in time."

Gaara sighed, wiping the long single tear that had slipped down his face while starting into the blond-haired ninja in front of him. "Yes, Temari, thank you. I'll be out in a moment."

"Gaara, we need to go-"

"Sheesh Temari, he's the Kazekage – let him finish his conversations without bossing him around." Kankoro interjected, throwing Gaara an apologetic look.

"Hey-"

Kankoro had closed the door, cutting Temari off again, and continuing to take the brunt of her frustration in the hall.

"You should go, Gaara. Duty calls for the Kazekage."

Turning back to the hospital bed, the sandy, red-headed ninja lingered longer than he should have, not wanting to leave, fighting like the teenager he was against the responsibility of a whole village, of a whole village on the doorstep of war.

"May I come back to visit you?" He queried, unable to pull himself away without the knowledge that he would be back soon.

"Please do," Naruto responded, a small grin lighting up his cheeks once more. "I'm supposed to be transferred home for bedrest there within the next week. Just show up when you can, no notice needed."

Gaara nodded, and outstretched a hand, setting it softly on Naruto's forehead for a quick moment before turning away, pulling the brim of his hat to shadow his face, and striding toward the door.

"Gaara," Naruto stopped him, "Thank you."

"Of course. Rest well, body and mind. I'll be back to visit you soon." He slipped through the door, whispering under his breath, "Thank _you_ , my precious one, Naruto."


	3. Chapter 3

_"Naruto," Sasuke whispered, atop the waters once again, gripping tighter onto Naruto, blood already pouring from mouth to mouth. "You're nothing but a fool, Naruto…"_

 _He pressed down, vengefully kissing his prey, not an ounce of affection exchanged. Naruto struggled against him, and Sasuke's grip tightened._

 _The young Uchiha whispered into his ear, "How could you ever think that I could actually love you?"_

 _Chidori electrified his body, and Naruto's scream was stifled out with the choke of blood and Sasuke's mouth over his._

 _"How could you ever think that your love could be enough to change me?"_

 _"Please, just let me be! Sasuke!"_

 _Sasuke threw his head back, maniacal laughter bellowing out, Chidori exploding, ripping through Naruto's body again._

 _Sakura's laugh joined in, "You deserve this."_

 _"You've chased it, after we've all urged you to stop," Kakashi came in too._

 _Jiriaya chimed in, white and glowing, from the beyond, "I never dreamed you would fail me so greatly, I couldn't be more ashamed of what you've become Naruto…"_

 _More voices followed. Lady Tsunade. Iruka Sensei. Konohamaru. Soon, the whole Leaf Village._

 _"You'll never be our Hokage!"_

 _"How could we have ever hoped in you?!"_

 _"You're a fool, Naruto! You ran headfirst into this!"_

 _Suddenly, Kushina and Minato, his own parents from the grave, "Naruto, we were counting on you. You've ruined our legacy. What shame and disgrace to call you our son…"_

 _Naruto could no longer bear it. He writhed and thrashed against Sasuke, screaming out for help, for strength, in apology._

 _"Nine Tails – lend me your chakra! Please!"_

 _Even the Nine Tails laughed from within him, "No, Naruto. I've been waiting for you to reap the harvest of your foolishness for years, and now, I'm relishing it. Suffer, little Jinchuriki, and know that you have brought this on yourself…"_

 _The world began to spin – surely he was going to die soon, he begged for it._

 _"You fool…" Sasuke cackled, "Your love was never in my heart, Naruto, but now, my hate is in yours."_

 _Naruto screamed, "Let me go! Sasuke, please let me go! I'll do anything – Sasuke, please!"_

 _…_

"Let me go!"

Naruto drank in cool air with wild breaths, Kakashi's hands immediately on his chest and back, easing his former student to lay back down.

He was awake again, out of the nightmareand into the sharp pain of reality. At least at this point, he could distinguish which was worse.

"Easy, Naruto, just breathe," Kakashi soothed, wetting a rag and laying it over his blonde comrade's sweaty, fevered forehead.

"Kakashi…" Naruto moaned.

"Shh… Breathe."

"He had me…"

Kakashi stilled, letting out a long sigh.

"It would seem he still has you…"

The room became heavy. Slowly, Kakashi began to straighten out Naruto's tangled bedsheets, and to tuck them back in.

"I'm sorry that Sasuke made the decision he did, Naruto."

He flinched back, it was the first time someone had used Sasuke's name with him. It sounded bitter, wrong all of the sudden.

"If no one has said it to you yet, you need to know that it was _his_ decision, not your fault."

Instantly, Naruto's eyes brimmed with tears. He ground his teeth against them.

"Kakashi, you're supposed to just be a quiet support, ya know. I don't want to-"

"We've been quiet long enough. It's time to talk."

Naruto protested in silence.

"I said the same thing and have had the same talk with Sakura."

His interest was piqued, "You spoke with Sakura?"

Kakashi nodded.

"What'd she say?"

"It doesn't matter what she said. She'll speak with you herself soon enough-"

"She will?" Naruto interjected, Kakashi raising a hand to silence him again.

"What matters, is what I have to say."

Naruto frowned, his brow creasing in frustration. "A little high and mighty on yourself, don't you think Kakashi Sensei…"

A small chuckle escaped the silver-haired shinobi, and he sat himself down.

"Listen, Naruto… My father took his own life when I was a child."

Naruto gave a slight gasp at this sudden honesty. "Kakashi Sensei…"

"He was an amazing father, and an incredible shinobi; I'm more than honored to be his son. But, he disobeyed direct orders on a mission, abandoning it, in order to save his comrades, and the aftermath that followed left him with a long shadow of shame  
in the village. Eventually, he believed that his grief could only be relieved though death. I was eight."

"Kakashi, I'm so sorry… I had no idea."

"Let me finish, Naruto," Kakashi continued. "From then on, I consumed myself with the rules of the shinobi. I was so completely incapable of properly mourning the loss of my father, that I became obsessed with rules, and regulation. This cost me dearly.  
After having just made Jonin, I went on a mission during the Third Great Ninja War with your father, and my two former teammates, Rin and Obito. You have so much of Obito in you, Naruto. He was all about his comrades, about protecting his friends,  
about the heart of the mission, rather than the rules that structured it. He even had dreams of becoming Hokage someday. And he loathed me. We were water and oil then… Wrapped up in regulation, I missed out on what could have been between my team  
and I, and it very quickly cost Obito's life…"

Kakashi lost himself in the memory for a moment, his visible eye glassing over, fraught with pain unspeakable.

"Why are you sharing this with me, Kakashi?" Naruto questioned softly, never having seen his Sensei in such grief.

"As always, Naruto, I want for you to learn something, and in this instance, to learn from my mistakes. Yes, the pain of my father's passing was worthy of my mourning, but mourning does not mean fixating. I lost myself, tried to console myself in trying  
to fix what I thought were the mistakes of my father, in order not to deal with the pain of his passing. Does this behavior sound familiar at all to you?"

Naruto chewed on his lips. It did sound familiar. He opened his mouth, and he forced out his name, "Sasuke…"

It tasted bitter and wrong now too.

"Exactly," Kakashi confirmed. "You said it to him yourself, he wraps himself so deeply in vengeance and hate to try and avoid the grief of his loss. His grief and loss are real, his hate and vengeance don't have to be. If it brings you any peace, you  
should know I had a similar conversation with Sasuke before he left with Orochimaru… Obviously, it was to no avail. Sasuke has made his decision, Naruto, and now it's time for you to make yours."

"Mine?"

"Yes, Naruto, you have the same choice in front of you now. You can either, keep yourself hung up in isolation and defeat because of Sasuke's decision, and the grief it has brought you, or you can begin down another path. It's a difficult path, mourning,  
but it is one that is worth it and it keeps you from missing out on what's in front of you, one that keeps you from even deeper loss."

Naruto stared hard into his former master, concern and long-suffering riddled into his ever-masked face. What weight he had carried, and Naruto had never even noticed it?

"How do you even begin to find such a path, Sensei?"

Kakashi smiled, it reaching up to his visible eye, "That, we can find and journey down together."

Naruto returned the smile, and hope flickered again into his blue eyes.

"And I get the sense," The Copy Ninja continued, "that I'm not going to be the one helping you along the journey for long. Rumor has it there's a certain highly-recognized shinobi already more than willing to carry the torch and lead the way."

A hot blush lit up Naruto's face and he began to stammer out of a suddenly dry mouth, "Kakashi…I-what are you…What-what rumors...There's not-who is saying…I don't know what you're… I need to rest…"

Rich, full laughter rang out from Kakashi. "What? I've exhausted the pages of my favorite books; I look for action where I can find it now."

Naruto was purple, sinking beneath his sheets and a deep shade of purple. Kakashi laughed harder at his squirming former student, until Naruto gave in to the absurdity and laughed with him.

After a moment they quieted back down, grinning at one another.

"It's good to hear you laugh again."

Naruto nodded. It was good to hear his own laughter again; it was good to be genuinely laughing and smiling again.

"Kakashi, thank you. You're an incredible Sensei, and I'm more than honored to have been your student."

"Thank you, Naruto. I'm honored to have had you as my pupil, and I'm more than proud of the shinobi you've become."

"Well, well, I'm hurt Sensei, you didn't speak so highly to me in any of our talks together. I see who your favorite student really is."

"Sakura!" Kakashi and Naruto exclaimed in unison.

There in the doorway stood their incredibly strong and skilled teammate, looking rather haggard, her pink hair pulled back, donning a wrinkly medical ninja uniform, with a basket of home-made food pills in one hand, and a handful of Ino's finest flowers  
in the other.

"Sakura, you know how highly I think of you, your skill, your growth-"

"Don't try to back-peddle now, Kakashi; I would be disappointed in you if Naruto wasn't recognized as your favorite student…" She made her way slowly into the room standing between her former Sensei and her weary comrade.

It was the first time they had all been together since the incident, and it was a bittersweet mixture of comforting and disquieting. Once a brilliant and tight-knit team, teacher and students, innocent, adventuring, learning, growing, now and finally  
severed.

Kakashi knew this pain too well, and it ached in him more to know that his students were experiencing it for the first time.

"I'll take my leave, let the two of you talk," Kakashi stood, gesturing for Sakura to take his seat.

"Oh, no, please stay," Sakura requested, her stomach churning at the thought of finally being without escape from facing Naruto.

"I'll be back to check in on you two again soon. There are matters I have to attend to for now, after all, we are at war."

Sakura's face reddened with anger, "Kakashi! Naruto is not supposed to know!"

"Oops, I guess the cat's out of the bag now. Surprise, we're at war with the Akatsuki, Naruto!" Kakashi gave a wink to the two of them and vanished out the window.

Staring after him in disbelief for a moment, Sakura muttered, "He just can't ever use the door, can he?"

Turning back to Naruto, but unable to meet his gaze yet, she outstretched her hands, warm, green chakra flowing out. He winced slightly at her inspection.

"It appears you're healing very well, very quickly," She stated rather softly, withdrawing her ninjutsu and sitting herself down, eyes on the floor.

"Yah, my body is always pretty quick to bounce back…" A 'thank you' for saving him perched with anticipation in his mouth, but the still remaining desire to have simply drown reigned it back. Instead, he asked the question that had been burning at him  
since Sasuke's lips had touched his own. "Sakura, do you hate me now?"

Sakura's green eyes widened in disbelief, "Do I hate you? You think I hate you?"

"I-I just mean…I know how much you loved him… And, when you didn't show after I was hospitalized…"

Tears slipped down Sakura's pale and sunken cheeks as she crossed from her chair to the side of the hospital bed, grabbing gently onto her teammate's hand.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto… I've been so selfish… I just-I couldn't seem to find the will to accept reality… I knew seeing you would make it undeniable… How could I hate you, Naruto?" She asked. "He broke _both_ of our hearts."

Naruto's teeth ground together, his eyes squeezing shut, tears pouring out and onto his own cheeks. "Sakura…"

She gripped his hands tighter, and leaned her body down unto the hospital bed, curling into his, and together they wept in complete understanding of each other's loss.

"I'm so sorry he betrayed you so humiliatingly, Naruto…" Sakura whispered when their tears receded from a downpour into a drizzle.

"I'm so sorry I broke my promise to you Sakura…" He whispered in return. "I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough, that I wasn't enough…"

"Naruto…" She was at a loss. "You're more than enough, more than strong enough… He just, he chose differently… I wanted you out of his relentless rejection and abuse; I wanted you to let go of your promise, remember?"

Naruto chewed his lips.

"There's nothing to be sorry about…"

"I just feel like such a complete fool and failure, Sakura," he admitted in defeat.

"I understand… At least though, you got to know his kiss at least once, that has to count for something, right?"

"No," Naruto replied in sobriety, "It was all for my disgrace. His only intention was to mock and destroy me. It wasn't a goodbye, or gesture of affection at all… It wasn't a kiss…"

"You don't think he ever felt for you at all?"

"I think he could have. I think he could have loved you, too. But he loved the comfort of his vengeance most, and missed out on the chance to love anyone."

Naruto let out a long sigh.

"It's funny…" Sakura remarked, "I think I can see now that I wasn't ever truly in love with him, at least not who he really was. I was in love with the idea of him, of fixing him, of filling the void in his life, with the potential of who he could have  
been. You could see glimpses of it, back when we were young… But he didn't ever become that man, and it's clear now, that it's not that he thinks it's impossible for him to heal, but that he doesn't want to."

Naruto nodded, hugging his dear friend close with his one functional arm.

"I think all that's left to do now," he decided, "is to mourn the death of who he could have been, who he was to us."

"To not miss what's in front of us…" Sakura added, and together they wordlessly agreed it was time finally let Sasuke go on the dark path he had chosen, and for them to turn forward to find their own paths.

"Hey, did you ever- I mean, did you know that, well, that I had feelings for him at all?" Naruto asked sheepishly after a moment. "I'm just curious."

A small, embarrassed smile crept up between Sakura's lips, "No… I was too busy with my own infatuation for him. Not to mention how often you would come after me. Kakashi told me he knew though."

"Of course he did…" Blush rushed once again into Naruto's cheeks at the thought of his overly-perceptive Sensei relishing in playing matchmaker from afar.

"He said that he, Lady Tsunade, and Shikamaru would all discuss it. And, as you can guess, our very own Hokage tried to get a betting pool running as to whether or not Sasuke would return the notion."

Naruto was crushed with embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to crawl away into a hole. Sakura's smile swelled into satisfaction.

"While we're laying all our cards on the table, may I ask you something?

"I suppose…" Naruto mused, thinking to himself that the conversation couldn't possibly be any more humiliating than it already was.

"Did you ever really have feelings for me, or was it just an act?"

Naruto recoiled in shock, "Of course I did, Sakura, from the start. You are so beautiful, and so very smart. I was struck by you first and hardest. My love for you simply changed over time. I see you more as my kin than anyone else."

Sakura blushed, pink as her hair, "Thank you, Naruto. I should leave you to rest; you'll need to have your strength up if you're going to be transferred home this week."

She gave her companion a gentle kiss on the forehead and rolled off his hospital bed to her feet.

"Sakura, wait," Naruto called after her. "I have a last question."

Cocking her head, she shrugged her shoulders, "Yes?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but, what did Kakashi suggest you would miss out on? What did he imply was in front of you?"

Sakura smiled big, teeth shining out and eyes closed.

"Myself," she answered, and turned for the door.

Naruto returned her smile.

"You're not going to ask me what he implied was in front of me?"

Sakura was almost out of the room, "No, I already know who's in front of you. And I've thrown my own bet into the pool on the outcome of this one."

She flashed a wink, just as their Sensei had, leaving Naruto to fall back into his pillows exhausted, embarrassed, and admittedly, slightly, deep down exhilarated.

"Sakura," He caught her from leaving a last time. "Thank you, for saving my life…"

She nodded in deep appreciation and relief, "Of course my dear friend, of course."


	4. Chapter 4

_"_ _Gaara," Naruto whispered, smiling cruelly down at the wounded Kazekage in his arms._

 _They found themselves on the waters where, in reality, Sasuke had destroyed Naruto. But this time, it was Naruto stroking his fingers across Gaara's chest, holding him with flexed muscles._

 _"_ _I have to make a choice, Gaara."_

 _His eyes stared anxiously back in anticipation._

 _"_ _How could you ever think that I could actually love you? Not when there's him…"_ _Sasuke appeared behind Naruto, wrapping his arms around, tangling them down his torso. "How could you ever think that your love could be enough to change my love for him?"_

 _Gaara shuddered in his arms, Naruto restraining him tighter, forcing him out of an escape from the view Sasuke meeting his mouth hungrily into his love's neck. Blood dripped down from the kiss, Sasuke swallowing back some of the spill with pleasure, his eyes meeting directly with Gaara's. Naruto leaned his head back, letting out a soft moan, relishing the pain._

 _"_ _You fool…Your love was never in my heart, Gaara, but now, my hate is in yours. This is the path I choose."_

 _The young Kazekage was rejected hard from Naruto's grip, sinking hopeless into the waters below. His vision began to fade, lungs screaming for oxygen._

 _Just before the darkness took him, he looked up to see Naruto enveloped in Sasuke's violent embrace, and a Chidori ripping through him, shredding his body into pieces, ribbons of blood drowning down with him._

 _"_ _This is my choice, Gaara…"_

 _…_

Naruto was awake, this time more than cold sweat and inability to breathe, this time vomit, his body shuddering and heaving in the dark night.

He didn't want that fate. He didn't want that choice.

Naruto strained to pull himself out of bed, at home again, no nurse to call or aid to come in and check. Stumbling through the dark of his apartment, he pulled off his soiled pajamas and bandages, unable to get their putrid cling off of him fast enough. He fumbled his shower on and tumbled under the stream.

Naked and terrified, clutching knees to chest, Naruto let silent tears and throw up circle down the drain.

He didn't want that fate. He didn't want that choice.

He didn't want that fate. He didn't want that choice.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day came sharp and abrasive with a knock at the door. Naruto flinched back in his bed, still sitting up, holding his knees, undressed, wrapped in one of the few unsoiled blankets he had.

"Who is it?" He called.

The red and beige of the Kazekage swept in from around the entryway, revealing his face, excitement quickly fading to concern.

Naruto quickly wrapped his blanket tighter around him, face flushing and teeth grinding.

"Hey," Gaara drew forward, and kneeling down on his knees at Naruto's bedside. "Hey, are you alright?"

His eyes were bloodshot and wild, hair matted to the sides of his head, having dried there from shower water and sweat.

"I'm fine. Just had a rough night…"

Gaara surveyed the mess of foul sheets, pajamas, and bandages crumpled around the apartment.

"We need to get you back to the hospital."

"No," Naruto insisted, "I just need to get myself and things around here cleaned up."

Gaara reached a hand to hover over Naruto's left arm, blood oozing out from under the blanket.

"You're not supposed to be moving around much at all outside of your physical therapy sessions. Let me take you to the hospital."

"I can't get stuck in that prison again," Naruto confessed. "It depresses me. I have to keep taking steps forward, ya know?"

The red-head ninja nodded, "I'll find Sakura for a house call."

A smile of extreme gratitude flashed across Naruto's face.

"Let's get things ready for her visit. Do you have any clean sheets that I can put on your bed?"

Naruto groaned, "I'm not going to have the Kazekage doing my laundry and house chores…" He was suddenly more and more aware how pathetic he must look, naked, frazzled, wrapped in a blanket.

"Nonsense. I'm taking care of this. Let me help you to lay on the couch while I re-make your bed." He stood and offered his arms out for aid. "Come on."

Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably, pulling the blanket closer around his neck. "I'm…not dressed under this blanket…"

Biting down hard on his lip, Gaara closed his eyes and let out a controlled breath.

"Okay, I can-I won't look at you?" He offered.

"No, I mean-I just…I can do this part on my own. You're insisting on doing everything else, so I can, I can just get myself over to the couch myself. You don't have to…I can do it, ya know?"

The both of them blushed down at the floor.

"Clean sheets are in the cabinet down the hall."

Gaara hesitated, conflicted, not wanting to leave Naruto stumbling over to the couch alone, but also not wanting to invade his privacy. He stood and crossed down the hall. At least he could grant him that dignity.

The leaf shinobi exhaled, shifting forward off his bed onto wobbly legs, clutching his blanket close as a cape across his shoulders.

Black haze dimmed in and out of Naruto's vision, pain threatening to leave him unconscious. The room swayed, the leaf shinobi with it, knees crossing, good arm reaching out for anything to catch, his heavy head bringing him quickly down.

How much more embarrassing, to have to now be picked up and naked and passed out on his own floor. So much for an effort to try and preserve some pride.

Something caught him, just before his body could meet the floor, something hard, gritty, but gentle. Gaara's sand.

Moving as its own being, it propped up under Naruto's aching body, catching his blanket before it could slip away, and floating him over and lowering him onto the soft cushion of the couch. The room steadied in Naruto's vision, consciousness taking back its ground in his body.

Gaara smiled, opening his eyes once his dear comrade was again situated, covered, and comfortable. He returned quickly with bedsheets and began remaking the bed, careful to tuck in every corner, and to fluff the pillows. Naruto watched, gratitude washing over him, as the great Kazekage gathered this vomit covered sheets and pajamas, sealed them into a laundry bag, washed down his bathtub and scavenged through his dresser for a new set of loungewear. He worked silently, meticulously, feeling Naruto's gaze on him every step and motion.

Lastly, he poured a glass of juice and selected a food pill from Sakura's home-made batch, wet a rag with warm water and crossed over to the couch, sitting down beside it.

"May I clean your arm and chest a little?"

Naruto nodded, and Gaara peeled back the corner of his blanket, revealing a bloodied and inflamed line of stitches and slick new skin. They both winced in pain.

"Do you want to talk at all about what happened last night?" Gaara asked, blotting the wet rag along Naruto's enraged wounds. "It's alright if not."

Naruto chewed his lips.

"I just, was a little reckless with myself… I had another nightmare, woke up in a panic after and it just kind of escalated from there, ya know."

Gaara hummed in understanding. "Do you want to talk about the nightmares?"

"No," Naruto scoffed. "I don't want to talk about any of this…"

"Should you?"

Soft green eyes shifted up to meet tortured baby blues.

"Probably…" Naruto admitted softly.

Gaara set down the wet rag and readjusted the blanket over him. Then placing a hand gently on Naruto's forehead, he whispered, "I'll be here when you're ready to do so."

A slight smile flicked between them and Gaara stood, gingerly removing his touch, Naruto nearly requesting its return.

"I'll go to fetch Sakura for you. Eat your food pill, and drink your juice. I'll be back later. Can I bring anything for you? Take care of anything for you while I'm out?"

Naruto shook his head and responded, "You've done more than enough. Just please come back soon."

His eyes fluttered, and stomach churned.

"Absolutely."

Turning and striding quickly for the door, he looked back only to order again, "Eat your pill. Drink your juice."

Sakura was there within ten minutes, apologizing and explaining she would have come faster if she hadn't had to run back to the hospital for more bandages and salve.

She ripped Naruto's blanket back, forcing him to wrench forward, grimacing and crying out for her to at least give him slight privacy.

"Augh, Naruto…" She sighed, "I've changed your clothes in the hospital before. Let me work."

"Y-you have?!" Naruto asked, mortified and reddening. "But, I was unconscious-they shouldn't let girls do things like that!"

"Hey! It's my duty as a ninja! You would be dead a dozen times over had I not humbled myself enough to tend to you and your stupid naked body! And you're going to be tending to _new_ wounds on your own if you don't shut your idiot mouth!"

Her face was enraged, veins bulging and eyes practically in flames, wagging her fist around.

Naruto couldn't help but to laugh. It was so good to see her this way, so normal, when they had been suffering and disjointed for so long.

"Fine-fine-fine-fine - you're an excellent medical ninja, the best medical ninja, and you should be able to do whatever you want," he resigned himself, smile still on his lips. "Do your duty."

"That's more like it."

She quickly got to work, first with medical ninjutsu, then resealing popped stitches, slathering globs a healing salve over them for the burns, and bandaging them back up. Scooping out more of the salve to be rubbed into his raw and aggravated skin, Sakura hesitated.

"You know, I could save this last bit for your house guest tonight," She suggested with a smirk. "I'm sure he would be eager to help, and I'm sure you'd enjoy it more from him rather than me."

"S-Sakura," Naruto stuttered, his face hot, "You can't say things like that… What has gotten into you?"

She giggled, "I'm just excited at the thought of your happiness. I want actual companionship for us both. But, yours is presenting itself, hard and fast, and I don't want you to miss it. Plus, it's nice to joke around here and there. Things have been too heavy for too long, and now we're headed into war… I want to savor what I can, and if that means speaking out of turn, or being slightly scandalous, I'm okay with that."

Naruto's eyes widened. She was already taking strides down her new path, the one to her true self.

"Sakura…" He stared at his teammate with pride.

"So, is that a 'yes' to my leaving behind the salve for your Kazekage?"

"Ah, he's not my- I couldn't ask him to-I-"

"But you're saying you _would want_ to ask him?"

"Sakura-stop!" Naruto wrestled his blanket over his head. "I don't even know how I feel… If _he_ even… I don't know, ya know."

"Naruto," Sakura pulled the blanket back to see his eyes, "Don't worry. I don't mean to pressure you. Just like I said, we all just are excited for your happiness. He won't pressure you either, but just know, he _does_."

Naruto sunk below blanket again cover to blush.

"I'll just leave the salve here. You should be able to put it on your chest, arms and torso yourself, Gaara will just have to take care of your back. If you'd rather though, I can take care of it myself before I leave."

The air hung silent for a moment.

"No, that's okay…" Naruto mumbled from under his makeshift hiding place. "You can leave it…"

Sakura's smile consumed her face. He had begun on his new path too.

"Come on, let's get some clothes on you, and get you moved into bed. I can assure you Lord Gaara will be back just as soon as I am out the door."

Naruto's head poked out, "Thank you, Sakura."

She nodded and finished tending to her dear friend.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Sakura began to gather her things, Gaara returned. She'd been a little more than accurate in her speculation.

He thanked her repeatedly and had brought her flowers as well. Flattered, she was still rather caught off guard by this gesture from the man that once crushed their comrades to feel alive.

He'd brought more with him as well, and quietly began to unpack his many treats as Sakura bid them both farewell and told Naruto that she would be by tomorrow to check in and to do some physical therapy.

Naruto's simple, wooden dining table was quickly dressed with a vase of flowers, a myriad of ramen noodle cups, and what looked to be several containers of medicinal teas.

"You're doing too much, Gaara…all these gifts… I'm don't deserve all this."

Gaara turned back to face him, "You are certainly deserving. But, it's not about that. Naruto, you should have died instantly after that kind of an attack… This is about celebrating, and healing, and restoring. When I was captured by the Akatsuki, you  
dropped everything to come after me and rescue me. You didn't let any number of obstacles stop you. Even when I was dead, you refused to give up on me… How could I not be here every step of the way when you were supposed to have died and are alive?  
How can I not want to do everything I can? Bedsheets and groceries… they are nothing compared to all you've given me…"

"Gaara," Naruto was awe-stricken, "I don't know what to say…"

The young Kazekage smiled.

"Don't say anything then. I have a special something I've yet to reveal, a special treat from your favorite place. Where might I find a bowl?"

Naruto's mouth began to water, guessing what surprise might be in store, and pointed to a top cabinet in his kitchenette. After pulling out a large, deep bowl, Gaara carefully revealed and poured a take-out container of Ichiraku ramen.

The smell of pork and miso swirled through the apartment, and suddenly he was aware of the ravenous growl in his stomach.

He beamed at this incredible offering as Gaara carefully made his way over to the bedside.

"Teuchi was resistant to the idea of his ramen being served as take-out, protesting that the flavors wouldn't blend as well as they do when they are served fresh. But, after I told him the order was for you, he couldn't resist. He and Ayame send their  
well wishes for a speedy recovery." He settled himself down with a chair pulled over from the dining table, resting the bowl of ramen on the small side table that once stood beside the couch until it cooled. "I thought after you eat, and depending  
on how you're feeling, you could try one of my favorites. It's a tea Kankoro discovered for me - made with valerian root. It aided me so much in my effort to silence Shukaku, of course this is when he was still inside of me, and I actually cared to  
fight him. Anyway, it helps with anxiety, and muscle fatigue, and even was often able to get me into a deep sleep. I thought you might like to give it a try and see if…Why are you staring at me like that?"

Naruto had been hanging on every word with fixed fascination.

"I've never heard you talk this much, and this causally," He noted, "I really like it. I'd love to try your tea."

Gaara's mouth opened and closed slightly, a grin creeping up between his lips in the process.

"Sure. But first, you should eat."

At his silent command, a small stream of sand floated up and out of Gaara's large gourd, moving over Naruto's lap and hardening, forming itself into a makeshift table.

"You're brilliant," Naruto remarked as Gaara placed the bowl of ramen and a pair of chopsticks on top of the little sand lap desk. "Thank you."

The bowl was just at the right level that he could feed himself without straining too hard.

Gaara nodded, his grin now a full smile. "Eat."

The first bite of real, hot food that Naruto slurped down since before his admittance to the hospital re-awoke his appetite like he never imagined it could. Every drop devoured within minutes.

Laying back and sighing, he was shocked when Gaara asked him if he was still hungry.

"Teuchi sent three bowls for you."

They both laughed at this, and Gaara watched in deep satisfaction as Naruto swallowed down in joy the other two bowls, color returning to his face and chipper energy to his body.

Once he'd finished, Gaara took the empty bowl to the kitchen sink, throwing away the take-out containers and bags, and setting a pot to boil for the tea.

Revving up his nerve, Naruto asked, "Gaara, could I trouble you to help me with something, please? Sakura left a salve for my burns…Could you, maybe, help me put it on?"

A thrill ran through the young Kazekage. He'd asked for help. And for help with _this_.

"Absolutely."

Snatching up the small bottle of salve from the side of the couch, Gaara's stomach began to turn cartwheels. Slowly he made his way to the side of Naruto's bed, who'd unbuttoned his shirt.

"Can you help me…I can't really move my shoulders that way yet. Sakura helped me get in here, and I can't, well, I can't really get out."

The fiery-headed Sand shinobi swallowed hard, nodding, his fingers fidgeting.

"Hey," Naruto said softly, "If you're uncomfortable, I can figure this out myself later, or have Sakura take care of it when she checks in tomorrow."

Gaara's head shook furiously, "No, it's not that at all…I'm… It's just, I'm scared I'm going to hurt you…"

Quiet filled the room for a brief moment, and then Naruto asked as calmly as ever, "Do you want to hurt me?"

Gaara flinched back, stunned.

"Of course not… I've just had a history of killing everything I touch, and you're so…" He gazed nervously over Naruto's exposed chest, muscled and tight, but also pink, raw, blistered, and bloodied, a trail of stitches poking through gauzy bandages, marking  
the spot in the center of his chest where the Chidori had struck, and disappearing across to his shoulder and down his sleeve where his arm had been severed. "…fragile right now. I don't want to rub like sandpaper against your wounds, or to press  
too hard, or-"

"Gaara," Naruto interrupted, "I know you're not going to hurt me. Relax. I'll tell you how things feel. You don't need to be afraid of yourself with me."

Flushing with deep gratitude and anticipation, the sand shell that wrapped itself around Gaara as a secret protection drained away from his body and into the sand gourd, and, guard down, heart racing, he stepped over to Naruto and wriggled off his shirt  
sleeves as gently as he could.

"How do you want me to, um, what-what do I do?" Gaara stammered, opening the lid to the salve.

"Well, we need to get my arms and chest and back. If you would like, you can come up here with me. It's hard to twist too much, or hold myself up independently for too long."

"O-okay… We can do your chest first and then you can lay back for a bit, maybe we can drink our tea, and then we can do your back and you can lay on your stomach for a while and, if you want, then you're in a good position to fall asleep."

"Alright. Sounds good."

Both their mouths ran dry.

Two teenage shinobi, talented beyond measure, having had battled through some of the most tortuous and difficult of times, stared at each other, stomachs in their throats, terrified in the best way, in the name of burn ointment.

Slowly, Gaara removed his large sand gourd from his back, setting it close to the side of the bed, and slipped up to sit between Naruto's legs, who'd leaned back, stretching out a torso tattered and torn and pink.

Gaara exhaled, and chills ran across Naruto's chest.

"You'll tell me if I'm hurting you?"

Naruto nodded, "But you're not going to hurt me."

He scooped out a handful of the salve, leaning forward over him, and ever so gently, smoothed it over a raw right shoulder.

Naruto let out a low, pleased hum, encouraging Gaara to move more freely.

Soon, the young Kazekage had spread the salve between both hands and was tenderly massaging it thoroughly into Naruto's entire chest, and down onto his chiseled stomach and over the tops of his cut hips. Practically purring, Naruto had leaned his head  
back, eyes closed, lips slightly parted and soft exhales escaping out.

Sweeter than the cool of the salve over his burns, felt the a soft, affectionate, intimate touch, something he'd never known before.

Gaara's gaze bounced over Naruto, checking to make sure he felt no pain, studying his body, and watching him enjoy and savor his fingers over his skin. It was the most beautiful thing he'd known, bringing someone pleasure and relief with his touch, his  
hands being desired instruments of affection and healing.

The two drank in the moment, drank in each other, knowing they were both on the edge of exploding.

The tea kettle rang out, and Gaara pulled back. Sighing, Naruto leaned his head forward, their eyes meeting and locking in.

"We should take a break with some tea, and then I can do your back." Gaara said softly. "You should lay down, let the salve set in."

Naruto nodded.

Gaara was quickly off the bed and fussing with tea cups, leaves, and the kettle. Naruto collapsed back into his pillows, trying to catch his breath, and at the same time, more relaxed than he'd been in years.

Repeating in Gaara's head while he worked were commands to calm and control himself. He'd spilled quite a bit more tea leaves than he had before preparing thecups with fumbling fingers.

Soon enough though, he returned with two full tea cups and the steaming kettle for refills.

"It will take some time to cool. My apologies for letting the water boil so long."

"Nothing to apologize for," Naruto assured him. "I thought we might could talk through some of my nightmare problem, if that's okay."

"Certainly," Gaara sat forward, "Tell me whatever you'd like."

"Well," he began, hands playing nervously with the edge of his bed sheet, "It's not really the nightmares themselves, I guess it's more the thought and fear of not knowing how to let go…"

"Of Sasuke." Gaara's own hands began to fidget, flexing and un-flexing, in and out of fists.

"Yes, Sasuke, but also what Sasuke meant."

"You mean… You still want to try and save him? You still love him…"

Naruto's eyes glazed over, "No… I've decided to let him go on his own path… Sure a part of me probably still loves him, but I don't want to. I'm not going to let myself act on that any longer. I want it to go away and die. Sure, I'd be happy were he to  
turn around and change his ways, but I don't want his heart any more, and I've realized that I can't make him want to come home…He's made his choice. I just don't know where to go from here in regards to him and his choice."

Joy swept through Gaara at Naruto's revelation and resolve, then cocking his head in confusion and curiosity, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Naruto chewed his lip a moment, hoping to be able to gnaw the right words out of them.

"I made so public my decision to rescue Sasuke, to be able to save him, to save everyone from him, to bring him home… I ignored countless warnings and protests from every single one of my friends and mentors. I claimed my reputation and life's purpose  
on him, and now… I know you hate me to say it, but I feel like a complete and utter fool, like a failure. I don't know where I go from here. Hunting him down with the intent to kill isn't something I can envision myself being able to do. But, I do  
want more than anything to protect The Leaf Village, to show them I'm worthy to be their Hokage. I just, I don't know how to let him go when he's still everywhere I turn, and when I bear the shame of having failed, of having had been so wrong and  
humiliated… Sure, it haunts me in my sleep, but more than that, I fear the shame of it will haunt me for the rest of my life…"

"Naruto…" Gaara whispered, racked with empathy, livid with Sasuke. "Thank you for sharing with me. You know, I feel a lot of the time that being a Jinchuriki isn't the worst of the demons we face."

Naruto recoiled a bit, eyebrows knitting together, "I don't understand… You don't even have Shukaku in you any more…"

Gaara gave a slight grin. "It's not about a literal tailed-beast demon, but the emotional, mental demons we all face. I have them. You have them. Kakashi has them. Sakura. Lady Tsunade. Sasuke. Everyone."

"I'm still lost…" Naruto confessed.

"Listen, I still have demons that I have to tame and not lend my strength to and have to keep sealed up tight, despite having Shukaku taken out of me. I struggle with the demons of my past – the isolation and lack of love I experienced as a child, my  
only comfort in bloodlust, the hundreds of innocent shinobi and civilians I've murdered in cold blood… I know I'm a different man now, something I didn't know I could be until you came into my life, but, the demons still live inside. I just have had  
to learn how to silence and seal them away. Does that make any more sense?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Because of Sasuke, you might wrestle with the demons of rejection, of betrayal, of failure, but Naruto, I haven't known the answer in my own life to be somehow just letting those things go. I have instead known peace come when _I_ am the one with  
the power and seal on those beasts, when I see them as demons trying to rob me of my life and energy and trying to overtake me. Inner peace doesn't come from everything falling into perfect place, or by being un-phased by the things that have happened  
to us, or the things that are happening around us each day. I believe inner peace to come from the inner strength to be the master of your demons and to be accepting of what has been and what is to be."

"So, you don't think I have to be unfeeling toward Sasuke to move on from him?" Naruto was leaning forward now too, invested in the wisdom pouring out from the young Kazekage in front of him.

"Naruto, I think part of you will always feel for Sasuke, and I think that's okay. He was your first and closest companion, your first love, your biggest mission to date. His choice to walk out of your life doesn't mean he walks out of your memories.  
It means you get to choose whether or not the memory of him will become a demon that rules you, or something sealed away and that has made you the man you are."

Naruto smiled slightly.

"Also," Gaara added, "and not to speak out of turn, I believe the same goes for the shame you feel about failing the mission to bring him home. Your village and comrades are crushed with you. No one is laughing at you for the treachery that Sasuke has  
commited… They _mourn_ with you. The only way you lose their faith is by letting yourself get crushed in defeat rather than learning from the experience. And if anyone is thinking you're a fool – who are you to stop trying to prove everyone wrong  
about yourself?"

"Gaara," Naruto's eyes brimmed with grateful tears, "How have you become so wise?"

A short, sweet laugh slipped out from him, "You, my precious Naruto, showed me such wisdom. It's just hard see a glimpse of truth we know when in the middle of the desert, during a sandstorm."

Naruto hummed in agreement, a single tear sliding down his cheek.

"Do you think our tea might be ready to drink?" he asked

With a great smile, Gaara reached forward, gripping a tea cup and bring it to his lips for a temperature test. "It's ready," he confirmed and offered Naruto a cup.

"Would you help me, perchance?" Naruto's heart quickened, every ounce of doubt having dried up in the warmth of Gaara's true affection and care.

This is what he wanted. Gaara was what he wanted. There was no game, no manipulation, no ache for a simple moment of acknowledgement only to be shoved back out of mind when no longer interesting or convenient. Naruto believed more than ever the truth  
in Sakura's confession – they had never loved Sasuke, they loved the idea of him loving them, and it had led them into a cycle of torture and disappointment. Sasuke never had Naruto's love, he had claimed him as a slave in codependency – and Naruto  
no longer wanted it, no longer wanted him.

He wanted a teammate of the heart. He wanted giving and patience and service and tenderness.

He wanted what was in front of him. And he wanted it desperately.

Gaara nodded in concern, moving forward to sit on the edge of the bed, tea cup in hand. As he had before, the Sand ninja slipped one hand under the back of Naruto's head, tilting it up slightly, this time blowing softly on the surface of the tea before  
pressing the cup up to Naruto's lips for him to take a small drink.

Naruto exhaled, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"Do you like it?" Gaara asked eagerly.

"It's delicious," He replied, "Perfect in every way."

The two shinobi let themselves drift away in their tea cups and in conversation. Lightness bubbling up between them. Banter and laughter. Talk of dreams and simple joys.

After an hour or so, the tea kettle emptied, and a sleepy wash fell over the both of them. Gaara excused himself to go and clean out the tea cups, and then returning, climbed up on Naruto's bed behind him to treat the burns on his back.

The burn in less severity, the young Kazekage let his strength loose a little more on Naruto's back, much to Naruto's satisfaction.

After he'd coated his skin, reaching over the tops of his shoulders, down his arms, and had also simply spent a while gently massaging, Gaara leaned his head lightly atop Naruto's right shoulder.

They were both practically lulled into sleep, and yet both fighting the end of the night and the parting of their ways.

"Gaara, do you have to go back tonight?" Naruto inquired so softly he wondered if he had even heard him speak.

"You want me to stay?" Came in response.

Naruto laid a hand on each of Gaara's thighs that wrapped around from behind him.

"Yes, please. Stay."

Gaara trembled, unable to believe that he remained in reality.

"I'd be honored."

This time Naruto trembled, entering into the same disbelief.

"You found where my loungewear is earlier today. If you want to change clothes, you're more than welcome to borrow a set." He offered.

Letting his fingers trail down the Leaf shinobi's slick skin, Gaara slipped out of the bed, rustled a pair of pajamas out of the dresser drawers and excused himself to the bathroom to change.

Emerging back out, Naruto was breathless, smiling from ear to ear.

"You're in my pajamas." He giggled. "The Lord Kazekage is in my striped pajamas."

Gaara giggled back, "Wait, wait, there's a last piece."

He pulled from behind his back and over his head, Naruto's old sleeping cap, complete with ears, eyes and cartoon-y teeth. "I think it all suits me quite well, if I do say so myself."

"It certainly does," Naruto agreed, memorizing the sight, his long-time friend, the child so plagued by demons that he murdered in every moment he got, now the young man, the Kazekage, so playful and jovial – it was almost too much for him to take. "You  
look-just…I love it."

Gaara blushed and crossed back over to Naruto, hesitating a moment before crossing back to the bedside.

"How do you want to…I mean, you need to lay on your stomach, at least for a while to let the salve dry on your back. Where do you want me to-to be?"

"Here," Naruto carefully, and suppressing a wince, twisted his body around in the moonlight to be sitting towards his headboard. He then patted the space in front of him for Gaara to sit.

"Oh, I see," Gaara whispered under his breath, stretching his legs out on either side of Naruto, who took this cue to wriggle down beneath the sheets, place a pillow in Gaara's lap and lay stomach-down, arms wrapped around behind Gaara's waist, head nestled  
in his lap.

"Is this comfortable for you?" Naruto queried.

"It is wonderful," Gaara answered, his hands tangling into and beginning to run through Naruto's hair and the stroke down back of his neck, body settling down into the mound of pillows behind him. "Yourself?"

"Yes," he sighed dreamily, "Completely wonderful, ya know."

The two of them shared a smile, their deep breathing falling into rhythm, and quicker than they imagined, they were asleep, not a nightmare to interrupt either of them for the first time in a very, very long while.


	7. Chapter 7

"Naruto," Gaara whispered, having seen his blue eyes flutter open. "Good morning to you."

The Leaf shinobi twisted his face to burry it in pillows and blankets, a great smile and blush overtaking him to awake in Gaara's arms.

A muffled "good morning," floated up from the pillow.

The young Kazekage ran a hand through Naruto's messy, blonde bed-head, "The burns on your back are looking infinitely better. How do you feel?"

He looked up to meet Gaara's fond gaze, "Much better than before."

The Sand shinobi grinned, "I'm sure getting a good night's sleep helped."

Naruto hummed in agreement, nestling his head back down, Gaara's fingers still playing through his hair. The two were still and sleepy for a moment, shafts of morning sunlight shining through onto them. Silence was cut short by a swift rap at the door. Both men snapped to attention, wide-eyed and flustered.

"Are you expecting someone?" Gaara asked low and quick.

"No, well, I mean, Sakura is supposed to come by, ya know. It's probably her."

The knock came again, louder this time, a voice calling thought the door behind it.

"Naruto, if you don't open this door in ten seconds, I'm going to assume you can't, and I'll bust it in!"

Gaara shook his head wildly, realizing who was at the door, "Let me up, Naruto. I'm sorry."

Shimmying himself off the bed, he began scanning for his clothes, or really for any clothes other than pajamas.

"Gaara, wait," Naruto urged, grimacing has he twisted himself over to lay on his back.

"Who is it?"

"That's ten. I'm coming in!"

Lady Tsunade burst through the door, Naruto gasping, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. Gaara leaned back onto the wall of Naruto's hallway, purple with embarrassment, wishing he could slip through and disappear.

"G-Granny Tsunade? What are you doing here?" Naruto stammered.

She blew past Gaara, ignoring him completely and strode over to the bedside, a large gourd of sand still beside it on the floor.

"Good morning, Naruto. You're looking well." She leaned down, running her hands over his bandages, emitting medical chakra to inspect his wounds. "I apologize for barging in on you so suddenly, but there's finally news for you in regards to our current political circumstances. I needed to see how your healing was coming along myself before I continued plans."

"Plans?" Naruto questioned, becoming concerned.

Tsunade nodded decisively. "Yes. We'll need to move you into hiding and into special training as soon as possible."

His eyes widened.

War - it was already beginning.

"I am positive news of what I am referencing has already reached your ears Naruto, despite my instruction for you to remain in the dark, so I won't mince words with you." Tsunade continued, "Because the Akatsuki have not yet captured you, or extracted the Nine-Tails, it is going to be their first priority in this war. We believe the best option, is for you to go away and into hiding."

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto protested, being cut off and shut down quickly thereafter.

"Silence! These are your orders! Your mission is to go into hiding, but also into training with the Lord Killer Bee of Hidden Cloud, the Jinchuriki and master of the Eight-Tails. Our aim in this is to keep you from being captured and to keep the Nine-Tails out of the hands of the enemy. However, it is also to use this time to try and train you how to master the Nine-Tails, so it can be used in the right timing as a weapon against our enemies."

Naruto bit onto his lip.

"Why are you telling me all of this now, Granny Tsunade?"

She let out a sigh.

"Because we can't wait much longer. We need to move you within the next one to two weeks if we are going to be successful in hiding you. This time spent with you vulnerable and in plain sight isn't something we can continue to afford."

He nodded, somber.

"I promise you, Naruto, I will get you out on the battlefield as soon as the timing is right. But, I'm confident in the decision The Allied Shinobi Forces has made to hide and train you for now."

"Allied Shinobi Forces?" Naruto questioned, eyes gaining a spark in them at the title.

Lady Tsunade smiled mumbling to herself, "Well, at least there are some ninja that honored my wishes to keep you in the dark…" Looking to Naruto, she explained, "The Allied Shinobi Forces is our army. It is a collaboration of all the Hidden Villages to fight back against the Akatuski."

Naruto began to beam.

"The Hidden Villages are collaborating with one another?"

"For the first time, yes," Tsunade beamed back. "We took a little unifying from a certain Kazekage, and are going to move as one force."

Gaara went rigid at the mention of his name, the Lady Hokage still refusing to glance over in his direction.

"Listen, we'll inform you more on battle divisions and tactics as soon as the timing is right to bring you out on the field, but for now, we need you to do the best you can to be ready for travel and training in within the next two weeks. I'll take my leave now. Sakura will still be by later to rewrap your bandages and to do some physical therapy with you. Rest." She began making her way over to the door.

"And Naruto," she turned to add, "Don't do anything rash."

Passing in front of Gaara, she gave a quick nod and smirk, "Lord Kazekage."

"Lady Hokage…" He answered, nodding and completely humiliated.

"Nice sleeping cap."

She disappeared through the door, her mighty strength slamming it behind her.

Gaara slid down against the wall and unto the floor, a groan sliding out with him.

"The Allied Shinobi Forces?!" Naruto didn't hesitate. "You formed the Allied Shinobi Forces and just weren't going to tell me?!"

Gaara's mouth opened, unable to find words.

"What's your position?"

"What?"

"Your position, in The Allied Shinobi Forces. What part will you be playing?"

The young Kazekage paused, palms growing sweaty.

"Regimental Commander…" he mumbled.

Naruto's eyes went wild, "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm in charge…"

"In charge? In charge of a team?"

Gaara shook his head no.

"A division?"

Still no.

Naruto fell breathless. "All of the divisions. You're in charge of all the divisions in The Allied Shinobi forces…"

This time a nod for yes.

Speechless, Naruto collapsed back in bed.

Gaara stood to his feet and crossed back over, "The Raikage is above me as the Supreme Leader, but, yes, I'm the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces."

"Why didn't you tell me? We spent the whole day and night together, ya know!" Naruto growled in disbelief.

Gaara's shoulders and gaze fell. "I-I didn't know how… It feels so strange, being so young, having lived the past I have, and now being in such a prestigious position… I didn't know how to tell you without sounding proud. More than that, I wanted to be able to simply be here for you. It's so comforting, being in your presence… Not having to have the answers or commands… And, I knew your orders to leave would be coming soon, and I just wanted to push away the war for as long as I could. I'm sorry. That was wrong and childish of me… Because the fact of the matter is, we _are_ at war. You are being sent away, and I am the Regimental Commander… Things don't get to be simple or comforting…"

A heavy cloud hung over them at this sobering truth.

"Gaara," Naruto finally spoke, "You _should_ be proud. Congratulations. There couldn't be a better Commander for The Allied Shinobi Forces, ya know…. I wish I could come fight alongside you, under your command…"

The young Kazekage swallowed hard, answering softly, "I wish I could come away with you to train…keep you safe…"

A choke in his throat caught Naruto, and a cough rocked his body. Without any prompting, Gaara found and filled a glass of water, reached a hand behind Naruto's head and served him a drink, cooing for him to breathe and relax.

Setting the glass down, he reached up to wipe Naruto's mouth for him.

A large warm hand caught his, Naruto's eyes closing as he brought the fingers of the Lord Kazekage to his lips and kissed them.

Gaara was frozen, eyes wide and shuttering breaths exhaling out of him.

"Naruto…"

His eyes opened and met with those of the red-haired ninja in front of him, "Kiss me."

Gaara's eyes fluttered, his heart racing, he learned forward, climbing up into bed, pressing their foreheads together, and slipping his hands around Naruto's sharp jaw and soft cheeks.

His eyes closed and he trembled.

"Oh Naruto," he breathed, "Don't ask me to do that… I'm not strong enough to resist you…"

"Do you want to resist me?" Naruto asked, pulling his head back slightly and looking back into Gaara's eyes.

"Absolutely not." He replied, "I'm just so terrified. I've never done this before..."

Naruto gave a gentle grin. "That's okay, I haven't really either…but don't be afraid, we'll figure it out together."

"No, not, this _…_ I mean sure, I'm nervous to-to kiss you as well, but I really mean I'm terrified of _this_ , all of it, us… Everyone I've ever loved has ended up trying to kill me, and everyone that has loved me, I've murdered… I have comrades now, my siblings, people that believe in me, but this is different… And we're at war. We're being separated during war. They are hunting you, and _Sasuke_ is still… I want to be able to be with you, to have you. No war. No Akatsuki. No one to...Nothing to hold us back..."

"Gaara," Naruto soothed, "Do you know me at all? I waited and chased after a man for years, one that hated, rejected, and tried to kill me at every turn. Don't you think that I can wait through one war for the man I love, for the man that actually wants my love?"

"Naruto…"

"For you, my Lord Kazekage, I would wait through a thousand years, fight through a thousand wars."

Gaara's mouth met Naruto's forehead, quiet tears slipping down both their cheeks.

"Thank you, Naruto."


	8. Chapter 8

A week went by, Naruto swiftly regaining his strength, Gaara drowning in work as the Allied Shinobi Forces' Regimental Commander. The effort and preparation for The Forth Ninja War were charging ahead, gaining momentum. A chill could be felt through the  
streets. Tension mounting. Anticipation setting teeth on edge.

Lee excitedly fulfilled his promise to help Naruto recover and gain use of his newly re-attached arm, Kakashi, Sakura, and many others showing their support and helping in any way that they could.

But where Naruto grew in physical might, his emotional status began to strain and suffer.

Things were different after that morning with Gaara. He'd only been able to receive a few letters since, no visitations. Understanding the burden on the young Kazekage, Naruto tried to pace himself and rationalize his anxieties. But, beyond the busyness  
and stress of war on the rise, he felt something else between them.

Had he been wrong about this love too?

The time sped closer for him to travel away to meet Lord Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails, Captain Yamato as his escort. Still unaware of where he would be hidden to train, Naruto packed, and tried to prepare as best as he could, heartbreak creeping inmoreeach  
moment he grew closer to leaving with no word from Gaara.

A few days before they were to leave, Naruto could no longer stand it. If this was the wrong path, he was going to run the full length of it before turning back on it too. He threw a small knapsack over his shoulder, and set out on his own for The Hidden  
Sand Village.

The journey was perilous for him, taking every ounce of his energy, trying his freshly healed body, pushing it beyond its limit. He knew it was stupid to go out on his own, that Lady Tsunade would be furious, that Captain Yamato was probably right on  
his heels, but he didn't care. He had to know.

Finally arriving, haggard and weary, Naruto did his best to sneak through the outer patrols and to the office of The Kazekage.

Within five minutes, Temari had caught him.

She smirked largely, "It looks as if I've apprehended a Leaf ninja disobeying his direct orders, and trying to break his way into our Village offices… This way." She instructed, leading him right up to Gaara's door. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you  
to be dealt with by The Kazekage himself. I'll warn you though, he's not a man to be trifled with."

Her eyes briefly met his with serious threat, before punching Naruto's arm and heading back down the hall.

Naruto looked to the great wooden doors. He swallowed hard, sweat beading up on his forehead.

Then, in a burst of courage, he opened the door and strode in.

Gaara was on his feet instantly, a mess of papers scattered over a large desk, a cup of tea cold and untouched leaving a ring on one of the documents.

"Naruto," He swelled with joy. "You're here… Is anyone with you? Did you travel here alone? … Naruto, it's not safe right now. Lady Hokage is going to be-"

"I don't care how Granny Tsunade feels." Naruto interrupted, Gaara giving a small gasp at the confession.

"Naruto," he sighed. "You need to have a bit of awareness and respect for Lady Tsunade and what she's trying to do. There's a lot more going on here… Have some formality. We're-"

"At war," Naruto interrupted again, "I know… I will have formality. I will call Granny Tsunade, Lady Fifth Hokage of The Leaf, and you Lord Fifth Kazekage of The Sand, for the rest of my days if it will please you, but I had to come. Let me have a moment  
more of behaving informally, please."

Gaara paused, longing to draw near, aching against responsibility.

"Just a moment more of informality."

"Good," Naruto declared, "Because I'm going to kiss you right now in your Kazekage office."

Gaara's mouth fell open.

"That is," Naruto added, moving toward him, "If you want me to."

The sand shinobi flexed his hands tight. "Naruto…"

"Listen, I said I would wait for you through this war, through anything – and I meant it – but, I have to know before I leave, before you go out and lead the fight… Do you love me, Gaara?"

His heart was in his throat, "Yes… Since the day we first fought, when you wouldn't give up." The memories flashed through his mind. The rage of Shukaku. Laying bloodied and destroyed on the forest floor. Naruto inching over to him, slamming his head  
into his. "You broke me open and filled every ounce of me a thousand times over…"

Naruto closed his eyes, soaking in the words.

"Tell me," he asked, "Are you letting Sasuke live as a demon inside of you?"

Gaara's eyes widened, his body rigid.

"Are you letting him keep us apart?"

Slowly, he nodded.

Naruto extended an arm around behind Gaara's waist, ever so gently pulling him in, the other hand cupping his face.

"Hey," Naruto whispered, "I know it's hard to see a glimpse of truth in the middle of the desert, during a sandstorm… Don't let your demons rear their ugly head. Don't let Sasuke's decision scream out louder than mine. This, right here, is my decision.  
You are who I chose."

Gaara's eyes fluttered, swelling with tears. "What if he comes back? He's still out there. He's going to come back, whether for good or for bad. What happens then? I don't want to just be your decision because of his decision."

"Gaara, look at me," Naruto's hand settled under the young Kazekage's chin, lifting it up to for their gaze to meet. "You're not a second choice. You're not just a filler in my heart because I can't have him. You are everything I ever wanted, and more.  
I want you because I went so long missing out on what I could have had. I was so stupid, so blind…So buried in this idea of Sasuke that didn't actually exist… I wanted to fix and save him so badly… I couldn't see what was in front of me. If he comes  
back, in whatever way, we'll figure it out. But he could come to me now with Tobi's head on a platter begging for forgiveness and my love, and I could would be joyous to give him my forgiveness, but I would not have any love outside of friendship  
for him. He is not on my path anymore. He has walked away, yes, but more importantly, _I_ have walked away too. Don't let him control you the way I let him control me. Don't let him blind you to what's in front of you. I don't want to miss out  
on what's in front of me for another second. Especially on the brink of war, especially when we are to be parted… I choose you because I want _you_ , because I am in love with _you_ , Gaara."

He was crying now too, and Gaara folded into his arms, nuzzling beneath his chin, wrapping arms tight around his back.

"I love you too, Naruto," He whispered into his chest. It was the first time he'd confessed any love out loud, and it was unlike anything else. Being there, enveloped in each other's embrace, something they'd never known from anyone, a deep loneliness  
inside of them was finally comforted into dissolving away, the vast void finally being filled.

"I don't want to make us wait to be together until this war is over." Gaara declared, "I want us to walk into battle confident that we stand together, and fight for not only the future of the shinobi world, but for _our_ future. I don't want demons  
to stand in our way any longer." He pulled back to look into Naruto's face. "I want to be with you from this day forward."

Naruto blushed and beamed, laughing slightly in such overwhelming joy and disbelief.

"I want that too, ya know."

The Sand shinobi hummed in satisfaction. Then, gently asking, "Naruto, were you going to kiss me?"

His smile grew somehow bigger.

"Would you like me to?"

"More than anything."

Naruto leaned down. "As you wish, my Lord Kazekage."

"Wait," Gaara flinched back. Suddenly, his sand cocoon melted to the floor, a mound at their feet. "I want to feel you."

Naruto's stomach flipped, and he let out a small giggle of relief, pressing his cheek to the side of the young Kazekage's. His skin was like satin, warm and inviting.

Ever so softly, Naruto tilted up and kissed Gaara's forehead, right over his tattoo. Their breath shuddered, and chills ran down Naruto's back as Gaara leaned up, pressing his mouth briefly onto his throat. Their eyes met, and then, moving in together,  
their lips.

Slow, and soft they moved into each other, savoring this new perfection. Naruto's hands slid up from Gaara's waist to his back, under his sand gourd, pressing the young Kazekage into him, not able to be close enough, beginning to let his passions take  
him. He kissed in harder, moving his mouth over Gaara's, down over his jaw and settling beneath his ear on his flushed neck. The fire-haired shinobi swooned into his partner, unable to suppress a satisfied moan from escaping his open lips.

Naruto was undone.

His mouth crashed back into Gaara's, moving hungrily, letting his tongue slip through to taste, and teethtugging tenderly on his lips. The leaf shinobi found the strap ofGaara's sand gourd, and slipping it over his shoulders, lifted the young  
Kazekage up in his arms, setting him down on his desk, hands gripping tight onto his thighs.

Gaara was breathless, heart racing, body burning. He ached to let loose.

Naruto sensed his restraint, and between kisses, reminded him, "You're not going to hurt me, my Lord Kazekage. Have your way with me."

Surrendering into his desire, pushing past fear, Gaara pressed hard and fast back into his love, hands flying up and tangling into blonde hair, running down the sides of his muscled body, tugging him up and on the desk, straddled over him. His orange  
jacket and shirt met the floor.

Naruto rolled his head back, purring at the sensation of Gaara's teeth and tongue on his stomach and hips.

"Come here," The sand shinobi pulled their mouths together before commanding, "Flip me."

Naruto leaned them back to lay on the desk, gripping tight around Gaara's back and rolling them over, papers and the cup of cold tea spilling to the floor.

The young Kazekage, now straddled over his blonde-haired ninja, leaned down kissed with intensity from his mouth, and down his neck to his bare chest. Slowing, he began to move along the scar trail from Naruto's left arm, across his shoulder, and into  
the crater left behind on his chest where the Chidori had struck, nearly robbing him of this love.

"Naruto…" he whispered, his green gaze pouring over him. He let his fingers play over Naruto's chest, watching little goosebumps spring up in a trail behind his touch. "You're my most precious love. My skilled, passionate, precious love."

Gaara leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

"How could I ever have earned your love?"

He kissed him again, sweeter, more gently. Chills sprang up over his whole chest.

"How could I have ever have known I would have been so changed by it?"

Naruto felt a warmth explode through him, and he began to overflow with it there on the Kazekage's desk.

Gaara smiled full and unafraid.

"Whatever path we take from here," Naruto promised, "We will take it together, my Lord Kazekage."

"As you wish, my future Hokage, my Naruto."

They shared a smile and a laugh, and relishing in every second of this peaceful moment in the middle of a sandstorm. Their love washing out hate and fear, and taming back every demon within them.


End file.
